Improved steam digesteb foe treating bones



W. PERRY. STEAM DIGESTER FOR TREATING BONES.

No. 62,439. Patented Feb. 26, 1867.

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WILLIAM PERRY, OF NO RTH BRlDGEWATER, 'MASSACHUSETTS. Letters PatenLNo. 62,439, dated February 26,1867.

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Be it known that I, WIL'Lux .Pnnnr of North Bridgewater, in the county of Plymouth, and Stete of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Steamigestcr for Treating Bones; and I do hereby declare'that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ti .eof, which will enable others skilled in the art to maize and use the some, reference being ha l to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- I Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved .digester.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal central section-taken in the line 2: z, fig. 1

Figure 3' is a horizontal scctionteken. in the line 3 3 fig. 2."

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in constructing-a retort or digester for the treatment of animal bones with steam to soften and prepare them for grinding into afinc powder for use as a fertilizer; To effect this'objcct thoroughly it is necessary that the bones shall be-oonstantly eirpo'scd to the direct action of steam from the boiler for a period ofcight or ten hours, and that no portion of them shall be covered by the water of condensation, which would cover the bones in'thc bottom of the retort and prevent the access of the steam to them, Provision is made, therefore, by my improvements for constantly draining the contents of the retort and blowin'g ofi'the water-of condensation, together with the fatty and gelatinous matters in the bones which are dissolved byzthc steam, while the bones themselves remain in the retort to becon'stantly subjected in every part thereof to the action of a fresh supply of steam. Without this provision that part of the bones which would be covered by the water of condensation-could be only partially cooked or softened in a short time so as to grind readily into powder and be made soluble so as to serve the purpose of a quickly acting fertilizing agent or an active pabulum ofplants; Convenient and effective steam-tight heads or caps are also required over the openings for charging thediges'ter or. retort with the crude bones at the top and discharging them at the bottom.

Aiis a cy'lindrical retort, made of boiler iron l rge enough to contain three or four tons of raw bones, and in the form of truncated cones at the ends. It is suspended centrally by trunnions, a a, on a gallows, or any other suitabldframe, B. Thetrunn'ions, oreithcr of them, may be made hollow to introduce steam into the retort,-er it may be conveyed into it-by a pipe, 11, on the side, provided with a steam-tight coupling, e, which may be readily disengaged when it isdcsircd to turn the retort upon the trunnions, as will sometimes be necessary, to clear it out thoroughly. For this pnrp ::';e a chain or rope is attached to a staple, g, on the upper'end'i On each end of the retort are steam-tight hcpis or caps, 01 being at the upper charging end and 01 being at the lower discharging end, both ofwhich cap-covers are hung on hinges and secured by tightening bolts and keys, 0 0, upon flanges on the ends oft the retort. On the inside of each of the caps cl d is an annular ring, 1',

for rt rubber, or other suitable packing, to render them steam-tight when closed. The cap [Z]. is provided on the inside with a circular. stopper, m, which projects upward when the cap is closed into the discharge-opening in the retort A, as shown in fig. 2,

and also with a perforated diaphragm or strainer, at, in the middle, which covers the end of the ejection pipe 1), which conveys the water of condensation and the matters dissolved and extracted from the bones dway from the retort. the ejection pipe is a. steam-tight coupling, 0, similar to the coupling e onthe induction pipe J), for thcpurpose of disengaging when the cap-cover cZ is opened to discharge the bones into a hopper, G, placed below, and for npsetting the retort, as before stated. I The stopper m is so c0n-' strueted as not to fit the discharge-opening tight, but with passage way enough left at the sides for the water of condensation and other liquidmatters, while at the same time the stopper supports the mass of the bones in the retort and prevents them from coming thronglrnpen the diaphragm n, which is also intended to shut ofi' any small particles of bones, while the liquid matter shall escape through the pipe 11. This separation of the liquid matter is not only necessary for the proper treatment of the bones, as previously stated, to reduce them readily to o. fine powder, but the fattyand gelatinous substances are separated in this manner for distinct uses, while the bones are rendered perfei:tly friable by the steam and or agent, The general operation is manifest.

Having described my invention; what I claim as newfund desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-g e crushed and ground into powder as a fertilizing ouad 2 ,1. I claim the combination of the suspended retort or digester A and the hinged steam-tight caps d d on the charging and discharging openings, substantially arranged and employed as and for the purposes herein described; I

I claim also the stopper m and the diaphragm 11., in combination with the discharging cap d and the ejection pipep, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes specified.

I claim also the steam-tight couplings c and u on the pipes 11 and 22, respectively, in combination with the suspended retort A, for disconnection therewith, as-nnd for the purposes herein described. The above specification of my invention signed by me this 1st day of November, 1866.

WM. PERRY.

Witnesses:

WM. F. MGNAMARA, ALEX. F. Ronnn'rs'. 

